MAY 4

Lotion is the best band no one’s ever heard. It achieved minor stardom in 1994, when radio was all over “Head”—the instant hit song about a distraught dog. But the rest of the band’s Kurt Ralske-produced debut, Full Isaac, went untouched, despite 10 other delightful, melancholy songs. The January release of the follow-up, Nobody’s Cool, went practically unnoticed, which is unfortunate because Lotion is much more than a one-hit wonder aching to fill the void left when Bob Mould broke up Sugar. Tonight’s spinART showcase features the finest power-pop on the label’s roster: the local Poole, which doesn’t have a single bad performance to its name, Richmond’s sleepy indie rockers The Technical Jed, and the Eitzelesque Idaho (which will be playing without original guitarist John Berry, son of Ken Berry, Andy Griffith’s Mayberry R.F.D. replacement). At 9 p.m. at the 9:30 Club, 815 V St. NW. $9. (202) 393-0930. (Tina Plottel)